Adopted by Default
by Kitsune Foxfire
Summary: Moby Dick is anything but peaceful on a regular day. The crew is just well used to their special brand of crazy, however. So when an unexpected guest arrives, it throws everyone into disorder. Really, where the hell is this cheeky brat's crew? Someone needs to tell Ace that his ship-brothers are NOT babysitters!
1. Chapter 1

_**Kitsune here with yet another new oneshot. Those of you who've read Burning Rubber knew this one was coming. This is similar to Nothing but Trouble actually, but isn't really a sequel. It's slightly AU, Thatch is still alive, Blackbeard almost killed him, but didn't quite. Ace is still hunting Blackbeard, but he's being a bit calmer about it. As for other changes, well...that's the point of the story. Read on!**_

_**A big thanks to Anjelle for giving it one last look over. More thanks to The Last ANBU and Mountain97 for their help as well!  
**_

_**Question of the chapter: "What's the weirdest crossover you want to see/have seen?" Weirdest I've read was Fallout: MLP. I want to see...wow that list is a lot longer.**_

**Marco**

"Looks like those rookies went wild at Sabaody." Thatch commented, turning the page of the paper. "Article on B-five. Squard is doing well, took out a vice Admiral...Damnit, bounties are missing."

"Mmmm. I think Jozu pulled them to show Oyaji." Marco commented in a way that suggested he was only half paying attention as he scanned the horizon. Look out duty was something he enjoyed, but only when it was his turn. Then he flew. If he'd known Thatch was going to take advantage of his 'eagle eyes' and have him do most (let's face it, the other was reading. All) the work, he never would have agreed to keeping him company when it was his turn. Ever since the close call with Teach's betrayal they'd all been a little soft on the pompadour'd man. They'd almost lost him. Hell, Ace was still hunting that bastard, though he was due to check in in a few days. Last time he'd been in a particularly foul mood. Blackbeard was apparently targeting his little brother since Ace had trounced the dirt bag. It had taken the threat of Marco carrying him back in chains to get the second division commander to agree to frequent check ins. They weren't going to lose a brother over this, it wasn't worth it.

"This is boring. Almost no one is stupid enough to take on Oyaji."

"Ace, yoi." Marco smirked. He spied a bird of some sort off in the distance heading their way.

Thatch snorted. "That was years ago." He leaned next to his friend. "Is that a bird?"

"It's awfully fast to be a bird..." the blond was getting a sinking feeling as the shape flew towards them. Its angle had it on a collision course with the ship. "Shit! Incoming!" He shouted down .

"What the hell? Who's firing at us?" Thatch's gaze scanned the seas, there was nothing to see. "Brace yourselves!"

Whatever it was, it hit the deck at an angle, blowing right under the sails and lines to hit with enough force to send even the great Moby Dick rocking. People dove out of the destructive path as the object skidded across the deck before slamming to a rattling, denting halt into a wall. Now that it wasn't skidding and flipping, Marco thought he saw a foot. His mind racing with possibilities, he and Thatch practically flew down the mast and over to the damage. The crew easily made way.

His friend hissed as it became obvious the projectile was a person. "That's gotta sting." The body was in a crumpled sprawl, unmoving. Marco was pretty sure the poor bastard was dead. The victim of some far reaching attack maybe. (Wasn't there that annoying fishman with a devil fruit like that?) It didn't look like they'd gotten here deliberately.

"Pull him out, yoi." He gave Thatch a slight shove.

"What? No! You spotted him first; he's your dead body. You do it!"

"You were the one who was supposed to be on duty. That makes it your body, yoi."

Thatch made a face. "Buddy, please! He might, I dunno, twitch or something. I hate that, you know I do."

"And you call yourself a pirate? You big baby!" Jackson shouted from where he was helping Namur clean already.

The jibe had the desired result as the fourth division commander huffed moodily. With one hand latched around the protruding foot, Thatch yanked the body free from the hole in the wall where it flopped bonelessly on deck. Marco was mildly disturbed to see the human projectile was a child. Harmless looking to boot, with messy black hair, a simple vest, East-blue shorts and sandals. He looked like some poor civilian who'd tangled with the wrong crew. Wordlessly, Thatch bent over to check the kid's pockets for something to identify him.

The body didn't so much as twitch as it sat upright with a yawn right as he leaned over. Since Marco himself jumped slightly, he couldn't comment on the yelp of fear his friend made as he scrambled away. The not-dead body blinked at the sound before swinging to his feet with a frown, reaching over his shoulder and pulled on a straw hat. He looked vaguely familiar.

Dark eyes took in the ship of now alert pirates. " Where the hell am I?"

"The Moby Dick." Thatch offered. "In the New World."

"Oh." A moment passed. Just as Marco was going to ask who he was, the stranger shouted. "WHAT? How did I end up here? Where's my crew?! Hey, Pineapple!" Marco twitched. "How far is it to Sabaody? Can you take me there?"

"At least a week, yoi. You'd have to ask Oyaji, brat, but I'm going with no, yoi."

"Oyaji?" The teen cocked his head to the side. "Ok! Where's the old guy?"

"Old Guy?!" Thatch wasn't the only one sputtering.

Booming laughter could be heard. Apparently Whitebeard had been listening in. Before Marco could stop him, the little shit ran right up to Oyaji's chair. He stared a moment before his eyes lit up. "Woah! That's the coolest Moustache ever!" Whitebeard laughed again, joined by the teen. "Mr. Moustache"

"Show some respect! Oyaji's the captain!" Voices chorused.

"Mr. Old Moustache, can you drop me off at Sabaody?"

"What a cheeky brat!" Oyaji grinned down at the kid, "Tell me boy; do you know who I am?"

The shitty brat picked his nose. "Nope." A booger was flicked carelessly away.

"That is Whitebeard, yoi." Marco glared down at the boy who was watching him with a vacant look. "The strongest man in the world."

The kid pouted. "Where have I heard that name before...AH! You're that old man Ace really likes!"

"How do you know Ace?" Thatch put a hand on the boy's shoulder, turning him to look at the fourth division commander.

"Ace is my brother." The boy grinned widely at them, and suddenly Marco knew why he looked so familiar.

"Strawhat Luffy, right?" Marco felt the sinking feeling get worse.

"Yep!" The grin grew impossibly wide, "I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!" Yep, that would be Ace's idiot little brother, alright. "Ace said that you wanted to be King, Moustache-guy. So I guess we'll have to fight, huh?"

"Aren't you a snot-nosed cheeky brat? You think you stand a chance against me?" Whitebeard was grinning, ever tolerant of young fools.

"Of course!"

"Gahahahaha! You're a hundred years too young to take me on, brat!"

The look in those brown eyes turned almost feral. "Wanna bet?"

"Oh god, he's like a mini-Ace." Thatch paled. "Please, please tell me you're not going to keep attacking Oyaji."

"It might be fun."

"Right...I think you and I need to have a little chat. You're a D, right? Let's get you some food and you can tell me all about how crazy you are." Thatch steered the brat towards below deck, followed by a few other commanders.

Marco waited until the teen was out of sight before turning to Whitebeard. "What do you think, Oyaji?"

"He's a cheeky brat." The older-seeming pirate grinned, taking a swing of sake.

"Blackbeard's after him, yoi."

"Ahhh. Let him stay on board for now. A brother of my son is welcome." Marco nodded. "But don't change course."

"Sure thing, Oyaji." He turned to leave, ready to assure his crewmates that all was well.

"Marco."

"Yeah, Oyaji?" Said man twitched, having a feeling what his father figure would say.

"He's your responsibility until Ace arrives." He turned to look at the grinning Captain. There would be no arguing that he was too busy; not with that look. Marco really wished he'd never agreed to lookout duty with Thatch today.

**Thatch**

Thatch sat the brat down at one of the long tables in the galley, signalling to his brothers and sisters who'd missed the commotion that there was nothing to see. The kid was busy looking around with a big grin on his face when Thatch dropped a plate in front of him. He had a moment of panic when the brat wrinkled his nose after picking up the tankard of watered down beer that was served with lunch. Ace had refused any and all food or drink given to him for quite a while after all, and this was his little brother. He was worried that the kid would be just like Ace in this, which would be very bad. (Ace would blame him, he just knew it!)

He offered his friendliest smile. "Eat up, brat. I didn't do anything to it."

The fourth division commander was all set to sample the food on the plate to prove it was safe before the younger pirate set on it like a starving animal. He ate everything, even the bones. For a second, Thatch thought he was going to even eat the plate when he licked it clean. It didn't stop there, either. The food on his own plate vanished just as rapidly as he stared on in shock. While the brat was busy polishing off the octopus filled steam bun he'd liberated, an arm stretched to Haruta's plate at the far end of the table. While she was distracted talking to Izo the whole plate was snatched out from under her fork. Both the other commanders looked down when the utensil thudded against the table before locating the escaping plate and tracking it back to the one foolish enough to steal from a commander. Surprisingly Haruta just watched with a slightly horrified expression instead of yelling. Thatch could understand the look, he was sure a similar one was on his own face as the Strawhat pirate moved on, stealing everything edible within his quite considerable reach. He wasn't even watching what he was doing, leading to a couple of close calls with knives and forks.

"Woah! Look at him go!" Roku cheered as he polished off his sixth plate.

"Thirty belli says he stops at ten."

"You're on!"

"Fifty says he makes it to fifteen."

"What, are you kidding? This is Ace's little brother!" Thatch laughed, getting in on the betting pool. "One hundred on twenty plates, _minimum_."

"You're on, commander!"

"Come on, brat, you can do it!"

"Hey, breathe, boy!" Vista slapped him on the back as he coughed. "Have a drink!"

"Don't like alcohol." Luffy spewed, food spraying back out as he coughed for a second before continuing.

"Why didn't you say so? Oiy! Can I get a pitcher of juice here?" Thatch grinned as the young captain continued to pack the food away. He was seriously wondering where it was all going. Ace was known for his voracious appetite even for a D and it looked like it was a trait shared by his kid brother. Not that the second division commander would steal food off your plate. He was more of the raid-the-pantry type (Something told him he would need to lock up the kitchen tonight, actually) where Luffy had no qualms in taking food from strangers at all. "Cocky brat. What kind of pirate doesn't drink?"

"Tastes bad. I drink with my nakama some." He explained with bulging cheeks. "When we have a party or kanpai."

Haruta leaned next to the teen as he finally began to slow down. "Hey, what was Ace like as a kid?"

"He was cool! I couldn't ever beat him in a fight. Me 'n Ace used to do all sorts of stuff together."

"What kind of stuff?" Izo asked, a delicate eyebrow raised. Dark eyes stared at the male geisha as the brat froze. "What?"

"Are you an Okama?"

"NO!" Snapped the sixteenth division commander. "I'm a crossdresser. There's a difference!"

The younger smiled, oblivious to the danger he was in for even suggesting that. Izo had killed people for it before. "Oh. Cool. Like Dadan." He grinned widely. Thatch recognized the name from some of Ace's stories and for some reason he didn't think the woman would appreciate the comparison. "Ace and Dadan always fought. He'd call her an ugly old bitch all the time, and she'd call us monsters or devil-children."

"That's not very nice of her."

"Jiji?" Thatch asked, passing over another plate. He'd lost count somewhere along the way.

"Mmm, Garp. Wanted us to be marines, but Ace and I wanted to be pirates! He used to chase us all over the woods and toss us off of cliffs." Luffy shoved another loaf of bread in his mouth. "This food's way better than the stuff we'd eat back then."

He could only imagine what kind of creepy-crawlies a little kid would pick up in the woods. It was amazing that the teen was even thinking about that while eating such good food. In fact, if Thatch had had any appetite left after watching Luffy inhale food, it was gone now. He glanced at the insanely large stack of plates. Actually, the redhead was feeling a bit sick at the moment. Seriously, where the _hell_ did it all go?

**Marco**

The vibrant blue phoenix's gaze swept across the expansive horizon all around. Way far out in the distance, a few days' sailing away at their current rate of speed, there was an island. Even to his raptor-sharp eyes it was just a darkened lump. There was no sign of the _Striker_, Ace's custom skiff. He fought back a sigh of disappointment and he turned, gliding his way back towards the _Moby Dick_ and his family. The winds were favorable, allowing for a gentle sweeping swoop around the ship before he came in for a landing, shifting before he even touched down.

"Any luck?" Jozu called out. When Marco shook his head, the third division commander waved it off. "You know him. He could show up tomorrow." He hefted the mattress that had been laying at his feet, obviously in the midst of setting up a temporary room for their unexpected guest. As crazy as it sounded, the Strawhat brat _was_ a Captain in his own right and it would be rude to expect him to bunk down with the crew. Even if he was rude to Oyaji.

Turning, he almost bumped into the diminutive Captain. Something he hadn't been expecting since Thatch was supposed to be keeping an eye on the brat and hopefully away from Oyaji. Of course, his friend was nowhere in sight, leaving him to believe the fourth division commander had either gotten bored with his pseudo-assignment (Marco would _kill_ him if that was the case) or the brat had slipped away. He guessed the latter as he looked into brown eyes practically glowed in the sun as the brat stared back at Marco, a incredibly wide grin stretched across the kid's face. It was a look that was remarkably similar to his older brother's when he was plotting something particularly stupid. Marco was about to ask what, exactly, the little idiot was doing so close to him when the brat spoke. "That was _awesome!_ You're like that guy in Alabasta, except all _fush!_ Shihihihi."

He blinked, wondering what the kid was going on about. "What guy, yoi?"

"You know! The falcon-guy! He gave me a lift once. It would have been a lot more fun except I had to go beat up that stupid sand-croc, so I didn't get to enjoy it." The mop of unruly hair cocked to the side. "Hey... do you poop?"

"I'm not going to answer that." Marco frowned slightly before turning away and heading across deck. Maybe if he looked busy the little shit would leave him alone. Asking questions like that, what the hell was wrong with the kid? It wasn't like Ace didn't have any manners, even given his childhood. Raised by bandits was no excuse. You just didn't ask a guy if he-

"Can you lay an egg for me?" A cheerful voice chimed, interrupting his train of thought.

"No." He continued to ignore the youth trailing after him like he was some kind of demented duckling. Catching Rue sniggering while splicing some rope, he shot the man a dark look, daring him to laugh.

"Please?"

"No."

"_Please_? Come on, I'm hungry!"

Marco spun around and glared at the brat, "For the last time, _No_, yoi. I'm a guy!"

"So?" The boy blinked vacantly at him and he felt that migraine come back. Counting to ten, the blond reminded himself that he couldn't kill Ace's little brother. (Ace wouldn't notice a little brain damage though, right?) "You're a chicken so lay some eggs! It would be _so cool!_"

"You dumbass, I'm not a chicken, I'm a phoenix!" He snapped back, slamming a fist into the idiot's head.

He wasn't surprised when the boy laughed it off. "A mystery bird, then!"

"Fine, a mystery bird." He sighed in defeat.

"Mmm, if you won't-"

"Can't, you moron." He wasn't going to even think about how insulting it was to even be asked.

"-lay eggs for me to eat, can we go flying? It would almost be as awesome as food!"

The first division commander actually found himself thinking about it for a second and quickly stopped when he realized he was seriously contemplating dropping the Strawhat-brat into the sea. Not exactly a good way to remain on either Ace or Oyaji's good side. Even if it was incredibly tempting, especially when he was grinning at him with that look. Just daring him to do it... "No, yoi."

"Stingy!" The teen pouted as Stefan trotted past.

He honestly wasn't surprised when the boy instantly latched onto the dog for a ride, apparent annoyance at Marco completely forgotten as he laughed loudly while the monstrous white dog attempted to throw the strange new weight off. He'd feel bad for Stefan, except knowing how tenacious Ace had said his _darling_ little brother was, that could have been him.

**Vista**

Vista patted the young pirate's shoulder. Sure, he was an annoying brat with absolutely no manners, but he was a _ballsy_ brat. He was handling everything well, even if he was making a general pain in the ass out of himself. A lot like Ace, actually. He could respect that a little. "Here you go. Your bunk."

The teen pouted, looking around in the small storage room that the crew had quickly converted. "In here? Alone?"

"Oyaji thought you'd be more comfortable."

The young captain sighed before looking up at Vista with sad eyes. "Can I sleep with you, Mr. mini-mustache?" Vista counted to ten, hoping he'd misheard. "Please? I'll even let you have all the blankets." He was going to go out on a limb and assume it was a misunderstanding. Kid didn't look like the type, after all.

"Surely you sleep in your own cabin on your ship?"

The young man cocked his head to the side. "I have my own cabin?"

"Let's try this again. Where do you sleep on your ship?" He supposed it was possible that Strawhat was just a figurehead, not really the captain of his crew. He seemed simple enough for that to be the case.

"In my bed." The kid was an idiot. "And Sunny has a name, you know. It's _Thousand Sunny_! Franky built him. He said all ships are girls, but Merry was a girl, and Sunny doesn't feel like a girl. Maybe she's a crossdresser?"

Vista ran calming fingers down his mustache. "Focus. Where _is_ your bed on the _Thousand Sunny_?"

"Oh. It's above Zoro and next to Usopp or Chopper." Alright, he took it back, maybe the boy _was_ into that kind of stuff. He wasn't going to be the one to tell Ace his baby brother wasn't so innocent anymore. The teen grinned at him, "I get the top, because I'm the Captain."

Vista paled, thinking about Ace's reaction. "That was more information than I wanted to know."

"But, you asked where my hammock was."

"Yes, but I didn't want to know what you...did you say hammock?" He felt foolish when the teen nodded. "Oh. Never mind then. So you sleep in a _hammock_ in the same room as the rest of your crew?" Another nod. "But, you're the captain!"

"So? It's more fun sleeping with everyone else. Except Nami and Robin. They have their own room. Sometimes we all camp out in the lounge though, or on deck. That's a lot of fun! Brook plays songs, and we party all night!" Wide eyes looked up at him pleading. "So, _please_ can I sleep with you?"

Vista sighed as he heard the sound of something being dropped behind him somewhere. He'd have some explaining to do in the morning. "No. I got someone better for you to sleep with." For a moment he thought about grabbing Marco, but the man might accidentally kill the kid.

"Vista?" Speak of the devil.

"Hey, Marco." The man turned to acknowledge his friend. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Just got here. Is there a reason Sean was telling Oyaji that you're _bothering_ our guest?" Marco's lazy look had a dangerous glint to it. It looked like he was going to have to do some explaining to Oyaji tonight. If Marco didn't beat the crap out of him first. Vista really wished he hadn't been the one to volunteer to show the kid to his room as more people oh-so-casually strolled over.

"Marco, how could you suggest something like that? The brat and I were just talking about sleeping arrangements."

"Yeah. He's a bully!" Everyone was glaring at him now. "Mini-mustache won't let me sleep with him."

"You can't sleep with him!" They all shouted.

"If Ace was here, he'd let me sleep with him." The teen huffed.

Vista paled at the thought. Just imagining the second division commander's reaction to the conversation was enough to give him nightmares. "No he wouldn't."

"Why not? I slept with Ace all the time." Luffy pouted.

Vista wasn't even going to _touch_ that one as the rest of the crew gaped at the teen in shock. "You like dogs, right?" The boy nodded. "Someone go catch Stefan so he can sleep with him, alright? Ace does all the time."

"Really? YAY! Thank you, mini-mustache!" Judging by the look Marco was still giving him as the teen wrapped rubbery arms around his neck _he_ wasn't going to be getting sleep anytime soon. Not until he explained. Maybe he could convince Oyaji to let him lock the kid in the room. Just in case Stefan wasn't enough for the grabby brat.

**Whitebeard**

It was peaceful on deck. Or about as peaceful as it ever really got with his sons and daughters running around. Maybe lively was a better way of putting it. Not that Newgate would have it any other way. He loved every minute of it. This was his treasure, no doubt about that. There was the sound of laughter, followed by a splash and a shout somewhere behind him. It sounded like the shitty brat had fallen into the sea. Again. The aged captain chuckled into his cup at the thought. It was amazing how well the brat fit into his crew. Usually when another captain had the balls to show up on the _Moby Dick_ they were a loud disruption to his family. The strawhat brat was loud, that was for sure, but he wasn't half as disruptive as he'd expect. Even with his obvious willingness to fight Whitebeard. Cocky brat was a lot like his brother. He felt a wet spot on his knee and looked down to see the grin of his unexpected guest.

"Hey! Get the hell down, you little shit!" Marco shouted as he came running up.

"Don't wanna!" was the laughing reply. The teen was ballsy, he'd give him that. "Hey, Mr. Old-Mustache guy. Can't you just give me a ship so I can go?"

Whitebeard waved Marco off with a grin of his own as his son stalked off. "Oh? And how will you find your way, brat?" The brat reached into the band of his hat and pulled out a small slip of paper, holding it out definitely for Whitebeard to see. "A vivre card?"

"Mmm. Rayleigh gave it to me. See?" He pointed to the name written in the top corner. "I just go where this points, right?"

"Are you telling me or asking me, brat?"

There was a pout."That's how I was told it worked." The teen whined. "Ace didn't explain _anything_, he just handed me this stupid paper and told me it would let us meet again. I have three now, but Ace's is the biggest. It got a little smaller for a bit, but now it's back to normal."

Three vivre cards, and from the sound of it, one from Dark King Rayleigh. Even if he ignored the one Ace had given the boy, it was still impressive for a rookie. He didn't look like much, just some gangly teen with a dumb expression on his face and a straw hat. The brat was short, even for a normal human, too. Still, Whitebeard knew better than anyone not to judge a person by reputation or appearance. Cocky brat had one hell of a reputation though. His contemplation was interrupted as Namur came trotting up. The fishman gave the child still standing on his knee a dark look before turning his attention to his Captain.

"Oyaji, some of the boys want to go fishing."

He laughed. "Since when do you brats ask for my permission? Tell them to go ahead."

Namur gave the teen another dirty look. "Only if _he_ stays the hell out of the water." The fishman crossed his arms. "We don't want to fish for snot-nosed rookies, Oyaji."

"Fall in a lot?" Whitebeard looked down at the teen who was studying Namur. If the brat said _one_ derogatory thing about fishman, he'd personally smack the kid into the sea.

Dark brown eyes looked up at him with a shrug. "Sometimes I jump in."

He might have misheard. "You can't swim."

"I know. Zoro usually has to come get me. Oh, sometimes it's Sanji." He grinned. "It's fun! Even when Nami'll push me overboard. My Nakama won't let me drown."

It was possible that the poor boy was brain damaged. Ace was a violent guy, even when you were his friend. Maybe he'd done some damage to his younger brother accidently. It would explain the protective streak if his son felt guilty over something he'd done as a child. That had to be it; because the brat was screwed up. Devil fruit user _jumping _into the sea. Namur was looking at him with a 'See what I've had to deal with?' expression and he felt a little bit bad. He'd not been aware that the kid was so potentially suicidal. "Ah. Stay out of the water."

The teen pouted, looking away. His eyes found Namur again and the brat stretched out on his leg like it was a cliff before looking down slightly at his son. "Hey, are you a fishman?"

Namur tensed slightly. "Yes."

"Oh, ok."

"Is that a problem?" His eighth division commander asked.

"Huh? Why would it be?"

"There are people who don't like fishmen." Whitebeard explained, curious on what the brat's answer would be.

The brat looked over his shoulder at Whitebeard, finger digging in his nose. "That's stupid. I hate Arlong because he was mean to Nami, but Hachi's my friend. So's Keimi and Pappug. They're cool. Even Nami likes them."

Namur looked up at the kid. "You know Arlong?"

"Yeah. Nami, my navigator used to work for him, even though she didn't want to. The guy was a real bastard, but I took care of it. She said Hachi was alright." Whitebeard frowned, knowing there had to be a lot more to the story than that. He vaguely remembered Jimbei talking about how Arlong had gone off into the East Blue after he split from the Sun Pirates. Arlong was _not_ the type to let a human 'work' for him. "Were you a friend of Arlong's?" The boy's voice had gone flat.

"No."

"Ok! Hey, do you know Hachi? He makes really good Takoyaki."

Namur shook his head. "Sorry, no. Hey, Oyaji, I'm going to let the others know about fishing. Brat, feel free to join us later. _If_ you can stay out of the water."

"Really? Thanks!" The teen waved at the retreating fishman before looking over his shoulder at Whitebeard (little shit was still laying on his thigh! Ballsy brat.) and grinning. "I like your crew. They're not as fun as mine, but I can see why Ace likes it here."

"Is that so, brat?"

"Yep! But I'm still not gonna let you be Pirate King."

He laughed. "You think you can stop me?"

"Of course! Cause I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!" He cried out with such conviction Whitebeard couldn't help but shake his head. Luffy had a long way to go before he was ready to be King, and Whitebeard was still planning on his older brother being King, but he could see it happening one day. If the kid survived, that is.

"Why don't you become my son?" He found himself offering.

"Nope. A king can't serve under another Captain." Luffy shot back quickly. "Besides, I don't need a dad, I got Ace." Whitebeard blinked as he tried to follow what the boy meant. He knew the brothers were not brothers by blood, but it hadn't occurred to him that the younger had no contact with his own father. He wondered if Luffy even knew who it was before deciding it didn't matter. The boy was right; he had Ace looking out for him. Looking down at the Strawhat Captain he came to a decision that he'd have to talk to Ace. He wanted this brat as one of his sons.

**Ace**

Ace could barely quell his anxiety when the Moby Dick was finally in sight. He just hoped Oyaji would be willing to help. Not that he doubted Whitebeard's willingness to help one of his sons for a second, but this was different. This was asking the man to help out another Captain, or at least find him. (If he could be found. If he wasn't dead.) Swallowing against the growing pit in his stomach he pushed Striker to go even faster. The closer he got, the more noise could be heard from the ship. It sounded like a party or something, which was great. It meant everyone was safe, and Oyaji would be in a good mood when he asked for help.

Swinging himself on board he wasted no time in heading for Newgate's chair. Here the cheering crowd was thicker, their attention taken away by something that was off to the side, allowing his presence to go relatively unnoticed. Thatch had spotted him though he pretended not to see the other's attempt to get his attention as he finally made his way in front of Oyaji.

The large man put down his tankard and grinned at him. "Ace."

"Oyaji." He nodded in reply, an answering smile on his freckled face, worries temporarily pushed aside.

"How was your voyage, son?"

Ace couldn't help the sneer on his face. "No luck. That rat-bastard's fast, I'll give him that. But when I catch him-"

"You will be cautious." Whitebeard cut him off. "The matter isn't as important to me as your life."

Despite trying to keep a scowl on, Ace couldn't help but feel warmed by those words. The simple reminder that Oyaji cared. That his being alive made the man he willingly called 'Father' happy in a way that neither of them questioned. Ace loved this crew so much. The feeling of contentment similar to what he felt around Luffy...The worry bordering on panic came rushing back. True, it had never really went away. He was a big brother after all.

It must have shown on his face, because Whitebeard leaned forward. "What is it Ace?"

"Oyaji...I need your help." He dug into his bag, pulling out yesterday's paper. "My little brother, Luffy! He's gone missing! He and his crew got into it with the marines on Sabaody and-"

A warm body slammed into him from behind, causing the young pirate to go flying into Oyaji's chair, paper fluttering to the ground. The second division commander growled under his breath as he climbed to his feet, his already strained temper snapping. He was going to beat the shit out of the fool who'd hit him. Thinking viciously of broken bones and third degree burns he spun with a glare, only to come face to face with the biggest idiot he knew. (A grinning, laughing idiot that he was going to still kill for worrying him like that!) He felt his eye twitch as he stared down at his happy little brother who was supposed to be far, far away.

"ACE!" Luffy practically radiated joy in that way he had, eyes dancing. "Your nakama is huge!"

"Luffy, what have I told you about watching where you're rocketing to?" He scolded to cover his relief as a crowd began to gather. Naturally the teen just laughed it off. "How about telling me what the hell you're doing here?"

"Good question!" Thatch called out, pushing his way to the front. "Kid just slammed into the deck yesterday like some demented cannonball. Wouldn't tell us anything."

"Luffy?"

His brother cocked his head to the side and scrunched up his brow, obviously thinking hard. "Mmmm... I think it was that Kuma guy."

He nodded, letting Luffy know he wanted more information with just a raised eyebrow even as his stomach dropped somewhere down below deck. Luffy was strong, he didn't doubt it at all, but Kuma was on another level. Just what had the idiot done to piss the guy off?

"We were on Sabaody waiting for Rayleigh to finish coating our ship after we rescued Keimi-"

"Dark King Rayleigh?" Marco seemed interested.

Luffy laughed. "Yep! He's cool, Ace! He knows Shanks! Oh, and Roger, too, I guess. Funny guy, though. He was pretending to be a slave when we met so he could steal money."

"Wait you mean you really kidnapped some Tenryūbito, bra-" He glared at Izo, redirecting his anxiety over the thought easily. "I mean, Luffy?"

"Nah." Instantly he felt better. "I punched one, though." And now he felt a lot more worried, but proud at the same time. "I think that's why the marines and that Kuma guy came. There were these cyborgs that looked like Kuma, too. Pastafeasta? No. Mmm, Pastafist?"

"Pastifista?"

"That's it! Anyway, We were fighting, and Kuma showed up and the next thing I know I'm here."

Ace wasn't even going to think about it. It was better for his health if he didn't contemplate how his brother had ended up in a fight with one of the Shichibukai again. Nope, wasn't going to think about that, or how he was pretty sure Luffy'd already threatened Oyaji. Kid was on the ship longer than five minutes. It had to have happened. Oyaji seemed to be smiling though, so maybe he liked his little brother? Ace grinned. He could work with that. "Hey, Luffy..."

"Ace?" His bumbling little brother looked at him with those wide eyes (People always said vacant. They weren't!) and tilted his head to the side, recognizing the grin.

"You sure you don't wanna join my crew? Just for a while, at least?"

"Will there be meat?"

Ace laughed, "All you can eat. What do you say, little brother? Just until we find your crew?"

"Ok...but I get to be captain!"

"HELL NO!" A few crewmates shouted, overhearing Luffy.

Ace just laughed. "He's not serious. Well, he is, but he's got his own crew."

"I think they mean he can't join, yoi." Marco stated, looking slightly aggravated. "Do you have any idea the trouble your little brother is?"

"Why do you think I worry?" Ace pointed out, dropping an arm around Luffy to keep him from running off. He turned his attention to Oyaji. "Please? Can I keep him?"

Thatch muttered. "What is he, a stray dog?" Luffy barking at him didn't help his image, so he slapped a hand over his brother's mouth.

"He's a lively brat." Oyaji chuckled. "Send word to keep an eye out for his crew, Ace."

"So...is that a yes?"

"He can stay on board for now." Oyaji grinned down at him. "I'll decide later."

"YAY! Thanks Old-giant-Mustache guy!" Luffy cheered before turning his attention to more important matters. "MEAT!"

Ace just laughed as he was dragged along behind. When he felt Marco's hand on his shoulder he paused. "Just remember, as long as he's here, you're staying on the ship, yoi."

"Why, Luffy too much for you?"

"Hey, Mr. Pineapple, are you gonna lay some eggs for us yet? I'm hungry!" Luffy called out, causing Marco's face to turn interesting colors. Maybe it _would_ be a good idea to stay on board. At least until he was sure that Luffy wasn't going to get someone killed.

"Wipe the grin off, Portgas. Izo's been keeping track of the bill he's run up, and unless he joins the crew, _you_ are going to have to pay for it."

"What?! Why?"

"Because he's your brother." Marco looked a bit smug when he said that.

"Marco...did I ever mention that I was adopted?"


	2. Chapter 2

_**Kitsune here. First, I just want to say originally this story was going to be a one-shot. I was NEVER expecting the reaction I got for it. So, because of you, the readers, I have decided to continue this. That isn't to say that it's forced. I always had more ideas, but I just was happy to leave it as it was. You all convinced me to keep going. So, thank you all for that, and thank you for waiting while I finished (except for the Omake chapter) Burning Rubber first. Some of you are new to my works, and some of you have been with me for a while, so you might know that I do spend a lot of time writing when I can. But recently life has been busy, so I've had to cut down a bit. I've missed it. Anyway. For those who care, I've created a Tumblr account, the link is on my profile page. I post random crap that makes me smile, stuff about my pets, quotes, and story-related things. Like, there was a sneak preview of this chapter. Big thanks to The last ANBU and Anjelle for beta reading!**_

_**Er, question of the chapter: "What's your favorite pie?" Mine is keylime. But I also like Mississippi mud and chocolate pies. I don't like fruit pies.**_

* * *

**ACE**

"I'm tired…" Ace moaned, leaning against the rails of the ship next to Roku. The man just looked over at him and shook his head before turning his attention back to heart of the loud party where one Monkey D. Luffy was making a fool out of himself still.

Ace might have forgotten how exhausting it was to keep up with Luffy when his little brother was worked up about something and trying to blow off steam. He understood exactly where the teen was coming from after hearing how he'd ended up on the _Moby Dick_ though. It was one thing to lose a fight, that was something his idiot of a brother was more than capable of getting over quickly (and trying again with great enthusiasm) but to watch his whole crew sent _away_ like that? For Luffy it was the worst thing imaginable. Luffy had never been able to handle being alone for any length of time. Hell, their relationship had been formed on that to begin with. He was just so happy that not only was his little brother safe, but on this ship. Even if his Ship-brothers found him a little annoying right now, Ace knew that they'd give the kid the attention he desperately needed. Eventually they'd see what an amazingly charming, sweet, loveable idiot Luffy could be…. though it might take Marco a bit longer to see the light. As for those who said his brother was just some useless rookie. Well, even Ace had to admit Luffy was a bit rough around the edges. The only way to prove the kid had earned his own bounty would be to let him fight, and just the thought of that made him want to beat the crap out of anyone who so much as suggested sparring with the young Captain. So, that was out.

Still, it looked like some of the crew had warmed up to his hyperactive brother already. Thatch had been a given, since Luffy could eat more than Ace. But he was a bit surprised to see Vista in the teen's company during the impromptu party. He wondered if he could count Vista among those who'd be all for Luffy joining the crew. Even if it was only temporary. Of course, that meant they'd have to figure out something to do with Luffy's crew. Somehow, he didn't think the ship would survive the whole Strawhat crew on board. First they had to find the crew though. He knew Luffy had to be worried sick about it. Even though he'd only spent a little time with the Strawhat crew, it had been obvious how close they all were. With that thought in mind he made his way back over to the heart of the party where his brother was trying to hide a yawn.

"So, Luffy, what Division do they have you bedding down with?" Ace grinned, secretly hoping it was his own so he could sneak down into the bunks and join his brother.

The pout on Luffy's face caused his grin to falter. "None."

"What? Then where are you sleeping?"

"Some room over that way." Luffy huffed, obviously upset. "Mr. Mini-mustache wouldn't sleep with me, either."

Ace froze at those words. He was barely aware of Vista turning completely white and breaking out into a sweat. The Second Division Commander was too busy thinking about his _clingy_ little brother was expected to sleep _alone_ on a ship full of people, and he saw red. Flames burst to life without his knowledge across his shoulders as he thought of poor Luffy alone in some makeshift room, especially after what he'd just been though. He turned a murderous glare at the mustached swordsman and noticed how most of the crew members near took a big step back.

"_Vista_!"

"Ace, Ace… It's not what it sound's like…" Vista's Adam's apple bobbed noticeably as the younger Commander took a step closer.

"You _wouldn't_ sleep with my brother?! What is wrong with you?!" There was a pause as everyone just stared at Ace in shock.

"Um… Ace? You realize you just asked Vista why he wouldn't have se-"

"Shut up, Thatch." Ace growled. "That's not what I meant, and he knows it."

"I'm...sorry?" Vista apologized. "Your brother is a Captain in his own right, though. Oyaji said to give him his own room."

"Someone show Luffy to my room." Ace snapped out, eyes flashing dangerously even as Luffy cheered next to him. "And get Stefan in there, too."

"You can't do that, yoi."

"I don't give a fuck right now, Marco. I can't believe you people thought it was a good idea to let Luffy sleep on his own!"

Marco just let his anger was over him as the two of them headed over to Whitebeard. "He's a Captain. It would be rude to have him bunk down with the crew. Oyaji's orders." The blonde reminded him as they came to a stop right in front of their Captain.

"What seems to be the problem, my sons?"

"Oyaji!" Ace snapped out, still smoldering in rage. "Luffty's bunking with me."

Whitebeard just raised an eyebrow at him. "Your brother claims to be a Captain. One of those so-called Supernova Rookies. He deserves his own room."

"It's not about what he deserves!"

"And it's not about what you think is best for the brat, Ace!" Oyaji snapped back.

"Oyaji is right, yoi." Marco attempted to put a hand on his shoulder only to have Ace shrug it off. "I know it's hard, but your little brother is grown up; he doesn't need you to look out for him."

"AHHH!" The flames roared to life before dying out just as quickly as he felt his temper flair at the insinuation. (Yes, he knew he had a bit of a brother complex. It was Luffy, who wouldn't? But that wasn't it, dammit!) He glared equally at both older men while they looked at him in surprise. "You don't get it! Think about it!"

"Then what is it, my son?"

"Luffy got sent here by Kuma _right after_ seeing the shichibukai send everyone in his _whole crew_ away! He's _alone_ and you stuck him in a storage shed!"

Marco frowned "Oiy, he seems fine."

"Yeah, he seemed fine when Garp dumped him at Dadan's too." Ace griped. "He was so fucking annoying, always following me around with this stupid grin even when I tried to kill him."

"You tried to kill the brat?" Whitebeard frowned, obviously confused.

Ace felt his cheeks color in shame and he looked away. "Yeah, well… he was _really_ annoying. Like, seriously annoying and weak. Besides, it was before the idiot had the shit beat out of him by Bluejam because he wouldn't sell us out...Luffy almost died for real then." He glared at Whitebeard. "You know what my seven year old little brother said then? He said it hurt _more_ to be alone than to be hurt. And you put him in a fucking shed alone after he just lost his whole crew, Oyaji."

There was a momentary pause before Whitebeard sighed. "You're right, my son. That was thoughtless of me. You have my permission to have your brother, Captain Strawhat Luffy, bunk in your room during his stay."

"What about Stefan, yoi?"

"You want my dog, too?"

The younger pirate shrugged. "Luffy likes animals."

"Fine then. You may borrow Stefan as well. But if he causes a mess or breaks anything, it is your job to fix it Ace. Not your Division. Understood?"

"Got it, Oyaji. Thanks." He grinned, relieved. He bowed low before turning to leave, Marco on his heels.

"Do you need anything, yoi?"

"Nah. I think I have some extra blankets. Thanks though, Marco."

"No problem. Sorry. Your brother just seemed so, well, not normal….he wasn't acting odder than we were expecting. Didn't say anything either."

Ace sighed. "He wouldn't. Luffy's an idiot." Don't worry about it."

"Right, well. Get some sleep, yoi. You have first shift on deck."

"Don't remind me." He moaned. "Luffy is going to be such a pain while I'm trying to work, too."

"I'll watch him, just this once." Marco offered, causing Ace to grin.

"Thanks, man!" He waved to the other, heading quickly for Commander's wing and his brother. Looked like he was going to get that sleepover he wanted after all.

**MARCO**

He was being stared at. Marco _hated_ that. "What, yoi?"

"Mmmmm. You're a Zoan-type, right?" The brat asked, still staring intently at him. Honestly, he was a little surprised that the kid remembered. He wasn't exactly the sharpest.

"Yeah. Mythical-Zoan. Phoenix, remember?"

The strawhat-brat nodded. "Right! A burning chicken." Marco felt his eye twitch and wondered once again how he had let Ace sucker him in to watching the younger D while his older brother worked. (The logical part of him reminded Marco that there was very little chance of Ace _working_ with Luffy in tow right now.) The teen completely ignored the dark look the First Division Commander was giving him and cocked his head to the side, still staring at him.

"_WHAT_?"

A wide grin was his only response as the kid nodded to himself and stood. He trotted away before turning and waving. "Stay there!"

Marco chose to ignore the idiocy and went back to his paperwork. Whatever had the young pirate worked up seemed harmless enough; he wasn't bouncing all over the place, or shouting about something. So he'd just do what he had been doing for the last hour and if the kid came back, fine. If not, well. He was busy. Wasn't his fault if the snot-nosed brat had the attention span of a water-flea. He did have to admit the way he squirmed, trying not to distract Marco, had been kind of amusing. (Yes, it was cute. No, he wouldn't tell Ace that.) It had obviously been killing the kid to be quite that long. The older pirate chuckled to himself as he continued to work, well aware that his respite might be interrupted at any moment. Soon enough he did start to worry at least a little bit about the lack of distractions. Mentally he started to keep track of how long it had been, deciding if a half an hour went by he would actually go looking.

Just as he was getting up to start the search rubbery arms wrapped around his waist. "What the hell?" Marco glared down at the youth.

"Shihihi! Sorry!" He didn't look sorry at all. In fact, he looked really excited about something as he pulled away. "Sit!"

"Not till you tell me what you've been up to, yoi." Marco continued to glare, crossing his arms. It was a look that usually cowed members of his own division, but had no effect on the bubbly Strawhat Captain.

The teen grinned at him, obviously proud as he held up what looked like a squeeze bottle. Marco didn't know where he'd found it, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know. "I'm gonna groom you!"

Damn the kid was loud. Other people had obviously heard since he caught a few hiding their snickers. "You're going to _what_?"

"Groom you." The brat repeated it like _Marco_ was the one who was a bit slow on the uptake. "Chopper says it's important for Zoan-types to groom."

"Uh-huh." Warily, Marco sat, still warning Luffy away with his look even though the kid was practically vibrating with energy. "Who's Chopper?"

"Our Doctor." The reply was instant. "He's a reindeer with a blue nose, and he ate the Hito Hito no Mi."

"A reindeer, yoi?" The kid nodded. He could see where grooming would be an issue. Marco for one took care of his own needs, preening in privacy. Still, it surprised him that Luffy had thought of it. "I don't need help, brat."

Luffy pouted. "But your hair is all… oily and stuff."

Marco resisted the urge to reach up and feel it. He knew it was a little oily, but the kid didn't have room to talk, really. "It's fine, yoi."

"But I can help!" The bottle was held up again. "Look! I brought stuff!" The kid beamed at him. At least he didn't bring a dog brush.

Finally after a long stare off where Marco ended up feeling like the bad guy, he gave in with a sigh. "Alright. Just this once, yoi."

"Yay!" Luffy practically danced around him cheering.

He settled down quickly, pulling out a brush from his back pocket and placing it on the table next to the opaque bottle while Marco moved his papers out of the way. The phoenix prepared for some painful hair-tugging for the sake of keeping his friend's little brother happy. (Something told him a sad or upset Luffy was something he didn't want to see, either.) He was quite surprised when instead of rough pulls and tugs, he felt gentle hands carding through his hair, working out the knots with ease and rubbing the scalp. It felt a little weird, since the teen applied almost no pressure at all. Almost like a strong wind. The whole time, Luffy hummed to himself, even as he reached out and grabbed the brush. That he worked more vigorously against Marco's scalp, but still not rough enough to be painful. It actually was starting to feel good.

"Do this a lot?"

"Mmmm. I brush Chopper sometimes. If I get too rough let me know. Chopper says it's 'cauz I don't feel pain like most people. Sorry." Luffy admitted, causing Marco to feel a slight twinge of guilt. Here the kid was going out of his way to be as gentle as he could when he really didn't have the same concept of pain. He'd forgotten that about the rubber-man.

"It's fine. You can't hurt me."

They both lapsed into silence. After what felt like both too long and too short of a time, the brush was put down and Luffy reached out for the bottle. Marco felt something cool and tingly on his scalp as whatever was in it was poured on his hair. He had a moment of panic, hoping the kid knew what he was doing, before those fingers started working their magic. It really did feel like magic, too. Luffy applied just the right amount of pressure as he massaged the scalp and hair, rubbing the mixture thoroughly into every strand without forming any knots. And he just kept up that glorious pressure. Marco was officially sold on letting someone else help with preening if it would feel this good. He'd croon, but his ship-brothers would never let him live it down. After some time he felt something soft press against his head, maybe a towel. He wasn't sure and he didn't want to open his eyes to find out. Instead he just leaned into it. Whatever it was was gentle and quickly replaced with the brush through the slightly damp hair.

"Hey Marco! Thanks for watching Lu-"

Marco lazily replied, not bothering to open his eyes. "No problem, yoi."

"Marco?"

"Yes, Ace?" He felt the brushing stop and guessed that Ace had done something. He cracked an eye open. The fire-man looked slightly nervous and amused at the same time.

"Did you _want_ Luffy to, er, dyeyourhairblack?"

He blinked dully at the two brothers. Luffy was still smiling widely at him, oblivious. Ace had his brother by the arm and looked ready to run. "What?"

"Luffy kind-of _might_ have dyed your hair black?" Ace gulped.

Marco turned his attention to Luffy. "You did _what?_"

The snot-nosed brat just laughed like it was the best joke ever. "I didn't think it would do that."

"Then what did you _think_ it was going to do? And what _was_ it, yoi?" Marco felt a headache coming on.

"Clean your hair." Again, Luffy looked at him like he was the idiot. "Pell used sand, but he was a bird-bird type or something, and you're a fire-chicken. So I thought I should use oil. Except, I couldn't find any fast enough. I found squid ink, though; and I thought that oil is black and ink is black, so it should work the same, right? Oh! And then I added some pineapple juice, because your hair reminds me of a pineapple." Luffy grinned widely. "It's all dark and shiny now!"

Really, he had no one to blame but himself. He shouldn't get mad at the kid, he was just trying to help in his own idiotic-not-helpful-at-all kind of way.

"It really _is_ very shiny and soft looking." Ace decided to put in.

"That's it." Marco stood, killer intent flowing from him. "Run, yoi."

"Eeep!" Ace took off, dragging a laughing Luffy behind him as Marco ran a hand through his hair.

Damn if it wasn't softer than before. If it wasn't for the fact that it was _black_ he would thank the kid. "Just like the youngest to pull a stunt like that…"

**JUZO**

Juzo kept his eyes focused on Ace's chest trying to gauge when his brother was going to attack. Ace might not be the fastest member of the crew, but he was unpredictable and he hit hard. Sparring with the Second Division Commander always gave him a bit of a thrill because of that. Ace was not known for pulling his punches. Or using anything but his full strength in a fight for that matter. Like most Ds, moderation just didn't seem to be part of his vocabulary. That was why when Ace rushed him only to vanish in a flash of fire, Juzo instantly hardened his skin into diamond. The blow to his kidneys hurt like a bitch all the same, but it didn't drop him out of the game. That honor went to the follow-up kick to the back of his knees that ended with him on the ground and a knife-point right under his chin.

"Alright, you win." Juzo ceded. "You've gotten faster, Ace."

The younger pirate flipped his knife over a few times before sliding it back into his sheath, a cocky grin on his face. "Thanks. So have you."

"Care to go another round?"

"Nah, not today. There's someone else I want to spar with today." Juzo followed his gaze to where the Strawhat brat was sitting precariously on the rail of the ship staring at nothing.

"Are you sure that's such a good idea, Ace?" He began worriedly. "The kid's a rookie, he's not up to your level."

Instead of getting mad like he half expected, Ace just grinned. "My little brother has _never_ been up to my level. Luffy's strong, though. Have you seen his new bounty? 300,000,000 beri. Not bad for a rookie that's been on the seas for less than a year, right?"

Juzo just rolled his eyes, refusing to comment. (It _was_ impressive if that bounty was an accurate representation of the brat's strength though. Personally he thought the fool was just a figurehead for his crew.) He knew there was no point in convincing his friend not to spar with the brat. Instead he settled on one of the stairs that lined the part of the deck designated for sparing to watch. Someone had to be ready to referee and interfere when Ace went a little over the top. He didn't have long to wait as Ace cleared the area of various weapons lying around and removed his own dagger. The young man paused for a moment, holding two bo staffs and looked over in the direction of his sibling before shrugging and putting them away. He knew Ace was decent with most weapons, but he'd almost forgotten that the Logia user was an expert with the staff. It was a good thing that Ace had put away the staffs; there was no way the little idiot was any good with a weapon. He'd be killed for sure.

"Oiy! Luffy!" Ace shouted out, a grin on his face as the teen turned his head to look at him. (Creepy, kid looked part owl when he did that.) "You still think you can beat me?"

The reaction was instantaneous. The brat's face broke out into a ridiculously large grin and he practically flew off the rail with a shout. Naturally, that got the attention of some of the crew who stopped to watch the newest annoyance launch himself at Ace with no warning. The kid was mental, that was for sure. There didn't seem to be any real sort of planning the the fury of punches that were so fast it appeared as though he had multiple arms. Ace had no trouble dodging most of the blows. blocking what he couldn't dodge. The grin never left the Second Division Commander's face when he switched to the offensive, aiming a powerful kick at the smaller pirate's middle which was barely avoided. The punch that followed connected soundly with the youth's chin, causing his head to snap back at least three feet while the rest of the body barely slid. The head became a weapon as it snapped back in place, colliding with Ace's forehead. Both fighters paused and glared at each other, rubbing the matching bruises before falling upon each other with renewed energy. When the Whitebeard pirate was forced to shift into flames to avoid a debilitating ax kick to the head there were some appreciative whistles from the crowds that had gathered that ended in winces of sympathy when an arm reformed and collided with Stawhat's stomach.

"Not bad, Luffy." Ace smirked. "You've gotten better."

The young Captain just grinned, resting a moment with his hands on his knees. "Thanks!"

"Still not good enough to beat me, of course." The older brother teases as he shot forward.

"Gear second!" There was a bright pink sheen on the brat's body, and he literally vanished before Ace's flaming fist could connect only to seemingly reappear behind his brother, still grinning. "Jet pistol!" His right arm shot out and connected with Ace's chest and went right through, but not before sending the other sliding back six feet.

Ace's expression turned feral, and Juzo tensed, ready to leap in before the hothead killed his brother in a fit of rage. He'd barely gotten to his feet before Ace slammed into the poor kid like a cannonball. He was surprised when Luffy managed to dodge quite a few of the flaming blows at first. The boy was still outclassed, however, and just before he managed to latch onto Ace, a right hook that even _looked_ painful collided with the side of Strawhat's head. Luffy went flying, colliding with the steps, the pink color fading from his body as he shook his head.

"You lose." The Second Division Commander looked smug.

The teen leapt to his feet with a pout, apparently fine. "No fair! Again!"

"Why? So you can lose again?" Ace's words sounded harsh, but he seemed genuinely happy. "I'm impressed, Luffy. You've gotten a lot stronger since the last time I saw you.

"I've been training. Not like Zoro, though. He's got all these weights and stuff, but he won't let me touch them. I think he's still sore about when I used one as an anchor."

"You did what?"

"I used one of his dumbbells to anchor the ship." Luffy grinned. "Some Marines broke ours, and Nami said we needed to stop. It worked really well, but Zoro got pissed for some reason." That raised the question of exactly how much the dumbbell had weighed to stop a ship.

**VISTA**

"Good morning, Oyaji!" Vista shouted, coming over to the man he loved like a father, holding the daily news.

Newgate held a tankard even this early in the morning, and he was pretty sure it didn't have coffee. At least, not _straight_ coffee if the way the nurses were glaring at him was any indication. (Really, you'd think the women would learn by now that the man would not be denied his booze.) He was a bit surprised when the man just raised his drink in acknowledgement and went back to looking down at his right. Immediately he worried that something was wrong, but that didn't make any sense, because despite the glaring, the nurses were being awfully calm. In fact, some of them seemed to be fighting smiles. Stopping right in front of the Captain's chair, he couldn't figure it out as the man didn't even look at him.

"Oyaji?"

"Vista, what is the news?" The other replied, still looking down.

Vista did his best to ignore the rudeness that was very out of character for his Oyaji and glanced at the paper in his hand. "Er. Not much. Only thing interesting is the meeting called for the Shichibukai. No reason given as to the _why_ though. There's no word in the paper about the Strawhat Crew or Teach either."

"I figured as much." Whitebeard frowned, looking at him briefly before something once again caught his attention. The older pirate actually let out a half-snort of amusement before looking at Vista again, humor dancing in his eyes as he tilted his head to the side and pointed down.

Curiosity now peaked, the Fifth Division Commander edged around the massive seat. The first thing he noticed was the sounds of snores. Having lived on board the same ship with Ace for the last few years, he knew _that_ particular sound so he wasn't surprised to see Ace's boots. (He fully admitted it was weird that he could pick out his ship-brother's snore from the hundreds of other crew members. But given Ace's tendency to drop off in the oddest spots it could be seen as a survival tactic so one didn't _step_ on the fire-man and go up like a candle. Or scream like a marine at the weird noises coming out of a closet like Juzo did.) He was a little taken back to see Ace's little brother straddling the man's hips; sandaled feet hooked back around his knees as he leaned forward in a position that made the swordsman decidedly uncomfortable on what he'd just walked in on. It was only the knowledge that Oyaji was not into voyeurism that stopped him from turning away right then and there before he'd even taken in the finer details. Like the grin on the kid's face and the thick marker in his hand that he must have gotten from a nurse. He watched in (horrified) fascination as the teen thickened the swirly line on Ace's freckled cheek before darkening the area under the nose. The logical sane part of his brain told Vista that he did _not_ want to be there when Ace woke up. The guy had been adamant since day one about not growing facial hair. Even going so far as to burn Thatch when the Fourth Division Commander had jokingly given him a mustache disguise. The rest of him was in full agreement with Oyaji; this was funny as hell, and Luffy might be the only one who'd ever be able to get away with that. Ace loved his brother right?

There was a snort, and Ace's eyes opened. The man blinked twice, a frown creasing his face as he looked at his brother's wide grin and the marker still held right over his face. Vista felt his stomach drop as he saw the realization that the kid had been drawing on him dawn on his friend. Ace had long ago mastered the scare-the-crap-out-of-you-scowl, and that was exactly the look he leveled at his brother. Unfortunately, Strawhat was either too foolish or too stupid to care that his life was possibly in danger as he continued to sit there grinning down like the lunatique he probably was. Visa had to give it to the kid, he moved pretty fast when Ace's fist came flying at his head in a blur of motion.

"What the hell did you do, Luffy?" Ace snapped, sitting up and glaring at his brother as the uncapped marker rolled on the deck between them.

The teen snickered just out of reach, a wide grin on his face and pointed at his brother. "Shihihi! I made you look like Mr. Old Mustache!"

Ace looked down at the marker, then at his brother. "You son of a bitch! _Get back here!_" Luffy yelped and took off around the far side of the chair with Ace hot on his heels, marker now in hand. "Let's see how _you_ like someone drawing on your face!" It was a bit sad to see the Second Division commander running around the chair unable to catch one small boy. Vista had wisely moved out of the way on the first lap around, but by the fourth time the kid had raced past it was getting ridiculous, and he was seriously starting to doubt Ace's intelligence. That is until Ace skidded to a halt right in front of the chair and spun around holding out his arms, a wicked gleam in his eyes as Luffy rounded the corner. "Come here!"

"AHHH! No!" The teen tried to stop but he was obviously going much too fast. Ace was ready for him though. He easily caught the rubber-man and picked him up, stopping his momentum instantly while ignoring the infectious laughter that had everyone watching grinning. "Nooooo! Ace let me go! Don't! Shihihihi! Put me down!"

Ace grinned. (Something about it bothered Vista for some reason, but he wasn't sure why.) "Put you down?" He dropped the teen, landing on top on him and sitting on his chest. Luffy kicked and failed under the weight but kept laughing even as his brother leaned in with the uncapped marker and roughly grabbed his hair to keep his head still. "Let's see….How about….." Ace grinned even wider, coloring a mustache and small beard around Luffy's mouth quickly before throwing his head back and laughing.

"What? What's so funny?!" Luffy whined under him.

"You-You look." Ace wheezed, rolling off his brother. He waved to one of the nurses who'd spent enough time interpreting the drunken wants of the crew to figure out what Ace needed and handed him a mirror which he held out to his brother while still laughing. He tried again. "Y-you look like Jiji!" He choked out before collapsing in laughter again.

Luffy took one look at his face and paled slightly, an obvious shudder going through him. "Not funny, Ace!" He pouted, tossing the mirror back. "Jiji is _scary_!"

"Aww come on, Lu! It can't be as bad as what you did to my f...ace." All the color drained from Ace's face as he looked at himself in the mirror, the wide grin instantly melting off his face and replaced by a look of true horror.

"I…" Luffy's voice was soft. "I just wanted to make you look like Mr. Old Mus- I mean Whitebeard. I'm sorry, Ace."

Vista had the feeling that he was missing something, and it had to do with _why_ Ace didn't like the idea of growing facial hair. That was a puzzle for another time, though. It bothered him that Luffy was so upset about this, even more than it bothered him that _Ace_ was upset. He was used to seeing Ace upset. Luffy, well, he could see why Ace worried about his brother. This kid wasn't _meant_ to look like that. It felt wrong. So he plastered a grin on his face and chucked. "I think you may have failed, Strawhat. But few look so good with a mustache as Oyaji." He pat his ship-brother on the shoulder in a consoling manner. "Ace my friend, the mustache is _not_ a good look for you. It clashes with your freckles."

Luffy nodded seriously. "Connect the dots would have been better."

"You draw on my face again, and I'm going to kill you." Ace half heartedly threatened, color coming back to both of the brothers. After a moment he snickered and looked at the mirror again. "It _is_ pretty funny, I guess."

The younger nodded, jumping to his feet and puffed out his chest, hands on his hips. "Bwahahaha! I'm Garp! Who wants a Fist of Love?" It was actually a good impression, and Oyaji started to laugh, which set Vista and Ace off as well. Soon even the nurses were laughing along with all of them.

"What's so funny, yoi?" Vista turned to see Marco standing right behind him. The man's hair was still stained a dull gray from Luffy's prank a few days ago, but at least it was no longer coal black. Still laughing all he could do was point at Luffy who was still doing an impression of his grandfather as he 'scolded' Whitebeard for corrupting his grandson. Ace for his part was howling with laughter on the ground. "Ace?" Marco looked at his friend, head cocked to the side in confusion.

Ace was still laughing, tears running from his eyes as he turned towards them. He tried to school his expression into his usual smirk, only to have a wide grin break out. His eyes danced as he waved at the First Division commander, leaning heavily on his brother as they both laughed. "Yeah Marco?"

"..." The blond shook his head. "Just wanted to let you know your shift is about to start. Crow's nest."

"Right, almost forgot." The younger pirate tightened his hold around his brother. "Come on, you. You can help."

"Yosh!" The two continued to chuckle as they walked off, taking the damp cloth one of the nurses held out.

Vista waited until they were out of earshot before turning to Marco. "Alright, what was that about?"

"What was what about?" Marco replied, still watching the two brothers, a strange look on his face.

"That!" Vista poked him, earning a glare. "That look you were giving Ace."

"Nothing, yoi." Marco shrugged, walking off.

"Asshole." Vista muttered.

"Grahahahaha! Your brother just realized something about Ace is all." Whitebeard grinned down at him.

"Oh? What?" It was a completely rhetorical question, since he knew very well his Oyaji would want him to work it out for himself. "It has to do with the mustache doesn't it?" The twinkle in those gold eyes told him he was on the right track and he fiddled with his own mustache as he thought about it. There was a nagging thought that he'd seen a grin _just like that_ before, long ago. That couldn't be possible, though, because that man was long gone, leaving behind a broken crew, faded posters, and a legendary treasure. "Oyaji…"

Whitebeard smiled down at him with that knowing look. "Remember that Ace is your brother and my son before anything else. Now, off to work with you, you brat."

"Yes, Sir." Vista nodded, recognizing the dismissal for what it was even as his mind was reeling from the revelation. As he walked past the mast, he could hear the two brothers laughing and shouting still from their post in the crows nest. Shaking his head he continued on towards his room to work on his reports. "Oyaji's screwing with me."

**THATCH & IZO**

Peeling potatoes was by no means a _hard_ job, but it was boring as hell. Especially when you had a crew the size of the Whitebeard Pirates to feed. Basically, it meant hours of peeling, even for the most experienced chefs on the crew. So, since Thatch was always happy for the help of his brothers and sisters when it was his turn to prep the tuber.

"Tell me again why we can't just leave the skin on these things?" Izo sighed as he placed another completed potato in the 'done' pile for pickup at their table.

Thatch hid a chuckle at the look on the cross-dresser's face, knowing the question was driven more by the feel of the just-peeled starch than anything else. Sometimes he was such a girl. He expertly ran the edge of his knife along his own potato as he answered anyway. "Well, because these babies have been in storage way too long to do that; that's why they're a bit tacky feeling. The skin'd taste funky right now if we cooked with it. So we're peeling them." He grinned widely at the other Commander sitting across from him, holding up a long uninterrupted string of skin. "Hey, look! No breaks. That's good luck, right?"

"You are thinking _Apple peels_, idiot. And girls do that to find their true loves or some shit. I think they throw the peel over their shoulder, right?" Izo turned his attention to the next tuber.

"Oh." He looked at the peel and shrugged." Well, use what ya got, right?" He tossed the peel over his shoulder.

"HEY!" Came a familiar indignant shout, causing them both to pause.

Thatch couldn't help but grin at the sight of the Second Division Commander standing a few feet behind him, a long peel of potato running over and across the brim of his hat and sticking to his chest. He put his knife down and fluttered his lashes dramatically. "What do you know, it worked! Ace, my true love!"

"Very funny, Thatch." The younger pirate made a face, pulling off the peel and adding it to the compost pile before sitting and holding out a hand for a potato.

Izo stopped again in his work. "Not that I don't appreciate the help, but, where's the little pest?"

"Hmm?" Ace continued to work, his method to take multiple slivers of skin off the vegetable. "Oh, around." Thatch kind of got worried when he said that. "I think he was looking for a 'Special Seat' or something. Anyway, Oyaji told me to get my ass down here and help."

"I see."

They worked in silence for a while before Thatch noticed that Ace was taking more potatoes than he was putting in the done pile. He had a good idea of what was going on. "Ace."

"M-eah?"

"Stop eating the potatoes." He sighed, not bothering to look at the other. He knew Ace would have his trademark grin and stuffed cheeks.

"M'ungry!"

"So's the rest of the crew! Just because you can cook them as you go doesn't mean you get to _eat_ them! No more!"

The sound of swallowing. "Fine." Ace pouted.

"AAAACCCEEEE!"

"Crap, the _other_ bottomless pit." Thatch moaned, praying the fool wouldn't eat the raw potatoes.

Ace, on the other hand, had this happy smile on his face. (Alright, if Thatch was willing to risk third degree burns he'd say it was an _adorable_ smile. All tender and protective. Buuuut, he rather liked being alive and not burned so he kept such thoughts to himself. And Marco late at night over a few drinks behind the safety of well locked thick doors.) The freckled pirate waved at his young brother, encouraging the headache to bounce over. "Luffy! There you are! What the hell have you been doing?"

"Exploring." The teen grinned, sitting at the table. "This ship is _huge_!"

"So Br-Luffy." Izo began, glancing at Ace. "What do you do on your crew?"

"I'm the Captain!" The teen cheered, throwing his arms in the air with a grin.

Thatch gave him points for enthusiasm at least. "So you make the decisions for your crew, then?"

The boy seemed to think about it for a second. "Huh?" Yep. He was an idiot.

Izo put the potato he'd just finished out of the brat's reach. "What he means is, you decide where your crew goes, right?"

"Oh!" The brat grinned. "Nope! That's Nami; She's our navigator."

"You divvy up the treasure?" Thatch tried.

"Why would I do that? Robin's smarter then me and Nami's good at haggling."

"What about deciding if you're going to fight or not?" Thatch pointed his knife at him. "Who decides that?"

"That's a stupid question!" Finally! "We always fight! Zoro n' Sanji'd be pissed if we didn't."

Izo frowned. "You at least decide what happens to your captives, right?"

"We can keep captives?!" The brat seemed shocked by this. "That's SO COOL! But what would we do with them? Chopper wouldn't let us hurt them…."

Thatch paused for a second. "Isn't Chopper your pet? A raccoon or something?"

"Reindeer. He's our doctor." Because that made complete sense. He looked over at Ace, and his friend shrugged, nodding.

"Well…." Thatch thought, grasping for anything a Captain did. "You decide everyone's shifts, right?"

"Draw straws." He picked his nose.

Ace calmly put his knife down while Thatch and Izo just stared at the brat and then _**THUMP! **_all three turned to look at the dark haired pirate who'd slammed his head into the table.

"Ace?" Luffy poked his brother's head. "Did you fall asleep? Ace?" His hand was batted away. "Shihihi, you're awake!"

"Luffy….You're an idiot." Ace groaned into the table.

The teen just laughed, butchering another potato. "Oh! Ace! I saw Jiji."

Ace cringed, pailing visibly as he lifted his head off the table. "Yeah? When was this?"

"Um, a month or so ago? We were at Water Seven waiting for Franky to build Thousand Sunny, because, you know, Merry got broken. I don't remember when he showed up because I was sleeping."

"You _slept_ through him showing up?"

"Yep. Running from a Buster Call is exhausting, Shihihihi!"

Thatch gaped at the young pirate. "Wait, so that was _true_? You really declared war on the World Government?! Are you stupid?"

Luffy just gave him a blank stare before answering. "They took Robin."

Izo raised a delicately manicured eyebrow. "And _that_ was reason to declare war on the world?" Thatch could understand the disbelief. Whitebeard pirates were known for their loyalty, be he couldn't really picture another crew with such tight bonds. Especially with the infamous Nico Robin, known for her betrayal of all she joined.

"Of course!" Luffy snapped back. "Robin is Nakama! She's _my_ Nakama! They can't have her, she didn't want to go with them!"

"...What does she even do on the ship?" Izo asked after a moment, not even looking as he smacked Luffy's hand away from the pile of peeled spuds.

"She's an arpi….arche….archi… Studies old things and books." Luffy grinned widely. "She's really smart, and funny."

"Right. So you challenged the world government for Nico Robin, the Devil Child, because she's smart and funny." Thatch shook his head.

"No. We just went to get her back." Luffy clarified, looking serious for once. "We burned the flag because they made her cry. _Nobody _hurts my Nakama."

For a moment the boy-pirate looked like a real Captain, and Thatch could almost picture him leading a crew. (Though he still questioned the sanity of said crew.) He understood exactly what Luffy had meant by burning the flag now, and judging by the look of reserved respect, Izo did too. The smug and proud look that Ace was giving them pissed him off just a little bit, too. Because it still didn't mean it wasn't a foolish thing to do, especially taking on the C-9 with just a small band of his crew. The fact that they'd all apparently survived and _won_ was amazing. They were rookies, for crying out loud!

"I am sure that not all your crew agreed with the decision though." Izu mused. "It is impressive you were able to get as many to go along with you as you did."

Again Luffy gave them a strange look. "Everyone wanted to get Robin back. Even Franky, and he wasn't on the crew yet." They just stared at him. "Ah, but I wasn't supposed to know Usopp was there. He had a mask on."

"...Right." Thatch nodded, remembering the small stack of bounty posters. "So you have eight people on your crew."

"Nine." He beamed at Ace. "I got a musician! Wait till you mean him! Brook is a skeleton, but he's got the coolest hair. And guess what? He poops!"

Ace shook his head, a strained laugh escaping him. "Where do you even find these people?"

"Floridian Triangle. Then I had to go beat up that leek looking guy, Moria. Bastard stole my shadow!"

Thatch was still processing that when Izo put it together. The crossdresser dropped the potato he'd been working on, ignoring it as it fell to the floor as he stared at the brat- no- young Captain sitting next to him in shock. Wide eyed, he turned to Thatch as the Fourth Division Commander sputtered wordlessly. It would have been funny to see the normally gregarious cook struck silent, except he felt the same way. Ace, on the other hand, wasn't silent. He made a strange strangled choking sound, his eyes slightly bugged out as his brother continued to hack away at a potato.

"Gekko Moriah? The Shichibukai?" Ace finally got out.

Luffy nodded, a frown on his face. "He had a giant. A _Zombie_ giant. I think it was called….Oz?" The kid finally gave up on his potato, which now looked like mush, and gave his brother an indignant look. "He stuck my shadow in it! _My_ shadow, Ace! He stole Zoro's, Sanji's and Brook's too. Took everyones! We kicked his ass, though. He had a cool ship."

"Really?" Thatch squeaked out, torn between shock-and-awe and worry for Ace. (Because the guy looked like he was about to faint or something.)

"Yeah! It was a whole island! It was so _fun_! There were these monsters everywhere, and a castle, and these old guys in bandages, and we _might_ have broke it."

"You _broke_ an island." Izo double checked. "How do you _break_ an island?"

Luffy shrugged. "He started it." Izo hated that answer. He knew it usually meant a fight was involved when used in his own crew, and since this was Ace's little brother it was a safe bet that was what the kid meant.

"Do you have any self preservation instincts at all, Luffy?" Izo finally asked.

"What's that?" The boy cocked his head to the side curiously.

"No." Ace moaned, having completely given up even the pretence of peeling potatoes as he put his face in his hands.

Thatch shook his head. "I can see why you worry, bro."

"This, this is nothing. I shouldn't be surprised at all." The other chuckled. "This is just Luffy being _Luffy_. Did I ever tell you about the time this idiot got caught by these pirate-thugs as a kid?"


End file.
